Judge Orders Attorney of Man Convicted of Sex Abuse to Bring Him to A Medical Facility

By Khaleemah Rashid-Miggins [former] - February 3, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Probation | Sex Abuse | Sexual Assault |

During a Feb. 2  hearing, after DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt was notified that a sex abuse defendant was not in full compliance of his probation conditions, she ordered his attorney to take him to an urgent care center following the court hearing.

On Nov. 16, 2022, Josue Salmeron was discharged from jail after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for sex abuse of a child or minor in January of 2022. The defendant was initially sentenced in June of 2022, but the sentence was amended in November to three years of supervised probation with other conditions, including registering as a sex offender, attending an inpatient drug treatment program, attending a sex offender counseling group, and receiving a mental health screening and evaluation if deemed necessary by the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA).

A representative from the CSOSA agency said he would arrange for the 20-year-old defendant to have a mental health and drug assessment.

The defendant was permitted to continue living with his mother. Since moving back in with his family, the defendant has taken both good and bad actions, the representative said. 

 He is in a stable household, has weekly visits three times a week, and communicates effectively, the representative said.

The defendant said he also has a job at Panera Bread, but he hasn’t given CSOSA a copy of his pay stub for proof of employment.

Salmeron has also attempted to receive therapy for sex offenders, but the clinician has missed appointments and the defendant is awaiting a new appointment date. 

Along with this news, the representative said the defendant has also failed to report for drug testing five times since November 2022, when he was initially released.

The representative said he worries that the defendant struggles to complete tasks on his own and has no sense of value. He said the defendant has displayed signs of deep depression symptoms.

The prosecutor emphasized the advances in the defendant’s compliance in important areas with finding employment. He says that getting a job can make it easier for him to live on his own since the defendant lives in the same house as the victim.

However, he still needs to comply with other requirements, the prosecutor said.

Johnathan Lanyl, the defendant’s defense attorney, said the defendant is seeking a means of numbing his suffering and suggested hiring psychologists to improve his mood.

According to court documents, Salmeron engaged in sexual contact, which included touching an 11-year-old child’s breasts on two occasions in 2021.

Judge Brandt required the defendant to provide the CSOSA representative with proof of employment and documentation of mental health intervention prior to the next court date. 

She emphasized that she is willing to try and work with him and that she won’t give up on him. 

Because Salmeron demonstrated that he will not permit himself to feel better, Judge Brandt requested that he one day be able to stand up and look in the mirror at himself. 

The next court date was scheduled for March 2.